OXFORD, Mississippi (CNN) – Senator John McCain dropped in on a vocal group of supporters near the University of Mississippi campus late Friday night after his face-off with rival Barack Obama, asking the crowd: “Do you think we showed them who's qualified to be commander-in-chief?”

McCain, joined by his wife Cindy and daughter Meghan, visited a debate watching party at the club Lyric on Oxford Square. A smiling McCain briefly addressed the crowd of about 1,000 backers, “I'm overwhelmed by your enthusiasm and support ,and I want to say that I thank you all for being here. I want to tell you that I will not let you down.”

He talked about his family’s roots in the state, and his time stationed at the Naval Air Station in Meridian. To loud cheers, he said, “I hope I made you proud tonight. I'm grateful for your friendship, I'm grateful for your support and I can't think of a better place to be than Oxford, Mississippi."

McCain then boarded the Straight Talk Express to drive 90 minutes to Memphis. He will fly back to Washington overnight.

soundoff(516 Responses)

Yes, my friend. You made me proud of my decision to switch from Republican to Democrat.

Proud to vote for Obama.

Proud to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

I'm very proud.

Thank you.

My friend.

OBAMA 08

September 27, 2008 02:12 am at 2:12 am |

TulsaTough

BHO the student, Cain the teacher. Did BHO say, "we would take them out?," talking about Pakistan?

September 27, 2008 02:13 am at 2:13 am |

mike

What is CNN trying to pull? I just put my grade for the candidates and your site CHANGED MY GRADE. If you people want to know what we think don't change it to what YOU want us to think.

September 27, 2008 02:13 am at 2:13 am |

Ryan

Obama has no experience and it showed tonight. McCain may not have the flashy, say whatever you want to hear delivery, but he is so much more qualified to be President. Fall for Obama's charisma, then pay higher taxes and watch this arrogant man drive this country into financial chaos.

September 27, 2008 02:13 am at 2:13 am |

Barney

Time gave McCain B-

Time gave Obama A-

Obama/Biden '08 We're taking our country back for us. NO MORE WARS FOR OIL.

September 27, 2008 02:14 am at 2:14 am |

Veterans for OBAMA

Jhonny boy you lost tonight and you will loose in December. Nonetheless please shut the door as you leave. And Oh we love you too.

September 27, 2008 02:14 am at 2:14 am |

CADem

John McCain told supporters he wouldn't let them down. Did he actually see the Couric-Palin interview?

September 27, 2008 02:14 am at 2:14 am |

sandee in Portland

He made me feel better about supporting Obama also. I can barely stand to watch McCain, especially when he gets that smirk on his face and his holier than thou attitude. As for this visit, get a clue people, he doesn't really care about any of us, just winning the election and then he'll go back to all of his rich cronies and deregulate another portion of the free market.

September 27, 2008 02:15 am at 2:15 am |

Jaroslav Suchanek

About the hard discused the subject of "YES or NO" THE SURGE OF ADDITIONAL TROOPS RESULTED IN LOVWER CASUALTIES....!
The proove of the TRUTH, is the report obtained from "SATELLITE IMAGES SHOWING ETHNIC CLEANOUT IN IRAQ..!
The images support the view of intl. refugee org. and Iraq Experts that a major population shift was a key factor in the decline in sectarian violence, particularly in the Iraqi capital, the epicenter of the boodletting in which hundreds of thousands were killed.
Minority SUNNI Arabs were driven out of many neighborhoods by SHIITE millitants enraged by the bombing of the "SAMARRA MOSQUE in February 2006. the bombing, blamed on the Sunni millitant group AL QAEDA, sparked a wave of sectarian violence.
"BY THE LAUNCH OF THE SURGE, MANY OF THE TARGETS OF CONFLICT HAD EITHER BEEN KILLED OR FLED THE COUNTRY, AND THEY TURNED OF THE LIGHTS WHEN THEY LEFT," geography profesor John Agnew of the University of California Los Angeles, who led the study, said in a statement.
"Essentially, our interpretetaion is that violence has declined in BAGDAD because of intercommunal violence that reached a climax as the surge was beginning," said Agnew, who studies ethnic conflict.
some 2 million Iraqis are displaced within iraq, while 2 million more have sought refuge in neighboring Syria and Jordan. Previously religiously mixed neighborhoods of BAGDAD became homogenized SUNNI or SHIITE MUSLIM ENCLAVES.
THE STUDY, published in the journal "ENVIRONMENT AND PLANNING A, provides more evidence of ethnic conflict in Iraq, "which peaked just "! BEFORE US PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH ORDERED THE DEPLOYMENT OF ABOUT 30,000 EXTRA US TROOPS!"
THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE TROOPS BUILD-UP HELPED HALT IRAQ's SLIDE INTO SECTARIAN CIVIL WAR HAS BEEN DEBATED, particularly in the US, with SUPORTERS OF THE SURGE, saying it was the MAIN CONTRIBUTING FACTOR, AND "OTHERS ARGUING IT WAS SIMPLY ONE OF A NUMBER OF FACTORS....
OUR FINDINGS SUGGEST that the SURGE HAS HAD NO OBSERVABLE EFFECT, EXCEPT INSOFAR AS IT HAS HELPED TO PROVIDE A SEAL OF APPROVAL FOR PROCESS OF ETHNO-SECTARIAN NEIGHBORHOOD HOMOGENIZATION THAT IS NOW LARGELY ACHIEVED," Agnev team wrote in their report.
"AGNEW's TEAM USED PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFRARED NIGHT IMAGINERY FROM A WEATHER SATELLITE OPERATED BY THE US AIR FORCE.

September 27, 2008 02:16 am at 2:16 am |

Michelle

I agree Florida Dem Obama makes me very proud!!! T

September 27, 2008 02:17 am at 2:17 am |

Republican for Obama now

McCain could not even look at Obama.Whats up with that? Kept on making silly smiles Was he trying to say Obama doesnt know what he is talking about? I liked the way Obama Looked at him and addressed him. Obama has my Vote

September 27, 2008 02:17 am at 2:17 am |

Cam

Yep, McCain definitely showed that Obama should be commander-in-chief.......

McSame is no leader. Told you he would blink and not stand by his convictions to stay in D.C. until the bailout was complete. Totally erratic. On again/Off again. The fundamentals are strong – all the way to no debate, but then he did debate – or gave the same old speeches – including reminding us all that he was a POW.

Yes, McSame, we know and you have been thanked to the nth degree. But you are not the only ex-POW in the world. Move on already and stick to the issues. And you had the nerve to be condescending to Obama. BTW, you, McSame, do not understand the difference between a tactic and a strategy. The surge was a tactic for an overall strategy. DUH!

September 27, 2008 02:20 am at 2:20 am |

Sylvia

Barack will be the next President.

September 27, 2008 02:20 am at 2:20 am |

Heather

I'm proud to be voting for Barack Obama. I don't trust anything John McCain says anymore. He used to be a straight forward guy, now he just wants to win an election. I thought Obama looked more presidential tonight. And I trust Obama/Biden a lot more than McCain/Palin. Palin scares the heck out of me. She's out of her league big time.

September 27, 2008 02:20 am at 2:20 am |

Kathy in Minnesota

Me too.

I felt that Obama could have been more agressive, but he did very well overall.He drove his points home when he needed to.

September 27, 2008 02:21 am at 2:21 am |

Jake

Thanks for making me a proud supporter of Barack Obama, McCain.

September 27, 2008 02:21 am at 2:21 am |

Democrat Voting For McCain !!!

Sen. McCain You Did Sir. Thank You . After Watching The Debate Tonight , I Bet Obama Wished This Debate Had Been Canceled . ROFLMAO !!!!!!!!!!

September 27, 2008 02:21 am at 2:21 am |

Brandon Beacham

Does the person to leave the last comment actually watch the debate? Obama did very poorly towards the end of the debate and McCain touted his national security experience to much avail.

September 27, 2008 02:21 am at 2:21 am |

Alicia Stayman

Seems Obama was a little hecklish a couple of times.....gee he must have been nervous. A+ for John !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

September 27, 2008 02:22 am at 2:22 am |

CarolO MI

Where was John McCain's flag pin!!!!!!!!!

McCain was condescending and snippy and will not look Obama in the eye like Obama is beneath him.

GO OBAMA!

September 27, 2008 02:23 am at 2:23 am |

GREG

MCCAIN SHOWED WHY HE IS THE BEST MAN FOR THE JOB!!!

September 27, 2008 02:23 am at 2:23 am |

JMartin

McCain keeps mentioning '"VICTORY IN IRAQ". What exactly does that mean? A democratic Iraq? Sorry to burst anyones bubble but there will NEVER be a democratic Iraq so we might as well leave now and avoid killing more than the 4000 american troops that have already been killed (and much more maimed and disfigured). "Our trooops will have fought in vain if we do not achieve victory" Are you kidding me? In vain? I don't think so. Let's pull our troops out now and avoid killing more of them. Not to mention that Osama Bin Laden is still alive and sending out new videos frequently. Obama is right, we should have never attacked Iraq, it was the biggest mistake the U.S. has ever made. To bad we can't bring Saddam back to Iraq to keep the peace.